Psyko 5.1 Gaming Headset Review

Drivers sit on top of your head, not near your ear

The Psyko 5.1 takes the idea of 5.1 surround sound in a gaming headset to its logical extreme. Not content with using two drivers to simulate 5.1 surround sound, the Psyko 5.1 actually packs seven drivers into the headset; five for directional sound, and two for bass. The Psyko isn’t the first headset with that many drivers, but the way it uses them to achieve its surround-sound effect is truly unique.

The best positional sound we've experienced from a headset--and perhaps the heaviest, too.

It’s a bit complicated to explain, but we’ll try: When gaming on a traditional surround-sound system, when a sound is played on the front-right speaker, the sound from that speaker hits your right ear a millisecond before your left ear, from the front. With the Psyko 5.1 headset, the same bullet sound would also be played primarily on the front-right speaker, except that now it’s located on the right half of the headband. The sound then travels through an acoustic channel, and is piped into the front of both ear chambers. Because the sound originates on the right side of the band, it hits your right ear first, producing the same effect as a physical speaker. Sound from the rear speakers works the same way, but is piped into the back of the ear chambers.

Very unusual. But does Psyko’s unique tech pay off? In terms of directional audio, it emphatically does. Simply put, the Psyko 5.1 headset delivered the best directional audio we’ve heard in a gaming headset. Sounds in games are clear and easier than ever to locate. There are, however, a few drawbacks to Psyko’s approach. First, the headset is big—it has to be, to fit all those drivers—and that makes it heavy (a whopping one pound, three ounces). Even though Psyko has gone to great lengths to make its headset comfortable, with extra padding, an adjustable band, and ear cups that open for ventilation, the sheer weight of the set proves somewhat uncomfortable during longer play sessions.

Sound quality for non-gaming applications is passable, but not great, and because the drivers need to be extra loud for the sound to reach your ears, the set requires an inconvenient external amplifier, and suffers from a lot of noise leakage.

Though we’re intrigued by the technology behind the Psyko 5.1, and love the directional audio, we’d have to wait for a version 2 at a lower price or with expanded general-purpose audio features before we would give it an unqualified recommendation.

Comments

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I bought a pair of these for $160 on ebay. Brand spankin new. I hooked everything up and was really disappointed. I thought these were the best 5.1 headphones out there. I was mistaken.

The speakers really suck with the amplifier. There's really no base at all. If you want a really great top of the line amp, go buy the Astro Mix Amp. Astro A40 headset is OK, but it's definitely not worth the price it costs.

The Psyko 5.1 isn't worth the $300 price tag. I only got them because they were half the price on ebay. They're OK, but nothing to get excited about. Especially if you've owened a high quality pair of headphones before.

If you're looking for a great set of headphones, invest on the Sennheiser PC350 Gaming Headset or any Sennheiser number higher than the PC350. However most of the Sennheisers above the PC350 come without a mic, but the sound is fanaminal.

These PC350's are the best headset I've ever owned. The sound is crisp, clear, directional, everthing you'd want. Not bad for only being 2-channels. If you have a top 3 sound card, these puppys are the best. Switch to virtual 7.1 and you're good to go.

The cord is super long too, so there's no worry about not having a long enough cable to reach the front or back of your computer.

Being a fan of new gadgets, I had to get these as soon as they came out. They do work really well. My only complaint is that I wished that they were adjustable. They are a 'one size fits all' product. For me they are a little high up on my ears.

Yeah, well, Psyko wondered why [H] said they were so bad so Psyko had them send the review unit back, and no wonder it sounded bad - it was broken. Psyko offered to send them a new unit for re-review and they refused the offer.

From what i've read these are the ultimate in directional headsets short of actual speakers. I want the try them out bad, but the price of $300 is too rich for my blood. I use the turtle beach hpa2 at present, which seem to be about the only true 5.1 headset available besides the tritons. I had the medusausa set for awhile the but the bridge connector was flimsy crap (which is a damn shame because they were the most comfortable ones to date). The G35 from logitech is decent but its SIMULATED 5.1 so essentially its a failboat for the price. I just wish this segment of the market was better but unless your a gamer you don't need 5.1 headsets. I can say for a fact that true 5.1 headsets DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I figured that out when BF2 first came out.

Wow, heavy headphones do not = comfort at all. I currently have a set of Turtle Beach 5.1 headphones with the in-line sound card. They work okay but I've been trying to find a replacement set. I'll steer clear of these.

I currently own a razer carcharias headset, and I recommend it to you. First off, the most appealing thing about this set for me was the weight (or lack thereof) and comfort. When you are wearing these during a game you do not even realize you have them on, its like your a really just hearing the sound. This brings me to sound quality. The bass/low end of it is really superb, this makes hearing gunfire/explosions and the like amazing. The midtones and treble are clear, but nothing amazing.

The built in mic is very clear, and a can pick up your voice without it being in your face. the mic also does a good job of canceling out background noise coming from infront of you. Unfortunately it does not block the noise coming from behind you out, which along with subpar treble clarity at times is my only complaint.

The headset is great for games, but not the best for audiophiles (in music).

But uhh, actually on topic I have never been a fan of the giant/heavy headsets. The lack of a mic is also a deal breaker for me.

At first the weight was a major issue but after a while you don't notice it as much, however this does not mean you don't notice its there . This headset does include a detachable mic which I must say sounds great but is not adjustable, meaning if you want the boom to be higher or lower you must adjust the whole head set to compensate. The padding is extremely comfortable but the pads furthest from the center on the bridge don't make contact with my head at all forcing the center pad to do most of the work which will lead to it becoming pretty darn flat. The cable coming out of the set and the amp is nice and thick but at the end where the connectors are they are extremely thin (thinner than earbuds) making then a weak point. Another thing is if you have a wide head or just stretch the headphones too much you are going to split the wave guides open (the pipes). The article did a good job explaining the rest, the sound bleeds, you have to have the volume at about half way before it is loud enough to be enjoyable, and ultimately it would be wait for the second generation of this set. A 7 is a perfect score for this product in my opinion because it does what it says it does, but does leave something to be desired.